Just a question about Chuck Longs NFL career.

docholihawk

docholihawk

Well-Known Member
I've always wondered why Chuck Long didn't have more success in the NFL. He was a classic NFL pocket quarterback at a time that was what every team had. I've never heard anything about this and I'm not one who has the knowledge to break down a players strengths and weaknesses. If anybody has any information I would appreciate your input. Of course I was able to figure out that Detroit was not a good team. And from what I can remember it seemed like the Lions offensive lines were nothing to talk about. Thanks for your input.
 
docholihawk said:
I've always wondered why Chuck Long didn't have more success in the NFL. He was a classic NFL pocket quarterback at a time that was what every team had. I've never heard anything about this and I'm not one who has the knowledge to break down a players strengths and weaknesses. If anybody has any information I would appreciate your input. Of course I was able to figure out that Detroit was not a good team. And from what I can remember it seemed like the Lions offensive lines were nothing to talk about. Thanks for your input.
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1. Didn't have an NFL-strong arm (he had an above average to good arm in college, and made up the difference with ridiculous accuracy); I can only base this on what I've been told about him and what little I've seen of him on tape.

2. Dude was drafted by Detroit.
 
tm3308 said:
1. Didn't have an NFL-strong arm (he had an above average to good arm in college, and made up the difference with ridiculous accuracy); I can only base this on what I've been told about him and what little I've seen of him on tape.

2. Dude was drafted by Detroit.
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I wondered if his arm was good enough for the pros. He was so good in college but back then you didn't hear analysts saying things like he can make all the NFL throws like we do now. I even had one guy tell me he got his bell rung by opposing defenses that it made him have happy feet. Of course it was a young guy in a bar who looked like he was in school on a drinking scholarship. Thanks for the info.
 
tm3308 said:
1. Didn't have an NFL-strong arm (he had an above average to good arm in college, and made up the difference with ridiculous accuracy); I can only base this on what I've been told about him and what little I've seen of him on tape.

2. Dude was drafted by Detroit.
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I had the opportunity to work with the Rams while Chuck was there (after Detroit). It was obvious that his arm didn't compare to Jim Everett's. Very accurate but not real powerful. But a great guy!
 
HawkeyePT said:
I had the opportunity to work with the Rams while Chuck was there (after Detroit). It was obvious that his arm didn't compare to Jim Everett's. Very accurate but not real powerful. But a great guy!
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If I remember right, Everett had a cannon for an arm. Wasn't his arm strength very close to Jeff George's?
 
Chuck Long may have had a decent NFL career had someone other than Detroit drafted him. The Lions were horrible with no decent receivers, running backs, and a bad offensive line. The first QB taken in that 86 draft was Jim Everett and he got to play in an offense that featured Henry Ellard, Flipper Anderson, and Cleveland Gary. When Long got traded to the Rams we were all hoping he would get a chance, but Everett was reliable as well as a strong arm.

If you get a chance plug in your old NES and put on the Tecmo Super Bowl game. You will find Chuck Long available as Everett's backup on the Rams. Long used to have some impressive numbers when I used him.
 
Chuck's downfall in the NFL is that he never learned to thrown when he was on his back. Chuck could extend a play or two in college. In the NFL, he could extend it for about one nano second, or about the time it takes for an Alabama booster to open his wallet.
 
I remember reading an article in which Woody Widenhofer said that Chuck Long definitely had what it took to be a successful NFL qb but was in the wrong place at the wrong time - something to that effect. Woody was the defensive coordinator of the Lions when Chuck was there and of the Pittsburgh Steelers during their dominance in the 70's so his opinion on the subject carried some weight.
 
Quick Marino like release without the Marino like arm strength. As I have stated many times arm strength can be overrated, but you need enough arm strength to make those deep outs and come backs which Long had issues with. He was probably best suited for the west coast offense it was just becoming popular when he it entered the league if he could have found one of those teams that ran that offense maybe things would have been different.


The difference why Vlasic had a better NFL career than Long was arm strength.
 
docholihawk said:
I've always wondered why Chuck Long didn't have more success in the NFL. He was a classic NFL pocket quarterback at a time that was what every team had. I've never heard anything about this and I'm not one who has the knowledge to break down a players strengths and weaknesses. If anybody has any information I would appreciate your input. Of course I was able to figure out that Detroit was not a good team. And from what I can remember it seemed like the Lions offensive lines were nothing to talk about. Thanks for your input.
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Crappy team. When he went BACK to the Lions (okay, I admit, though a Chuck fan, THAT was NOT a bright move) they had Barry Sanders and were running the run-and-shoot...without shooting (why "shoot" with Barry Sanders in your backfield?)
 
Detroit's OL was pretty bad and Chuck Long wasn't very mobile so it was a bad combination. I think a team like the Washington Redskins would have been a perfect fit for Chuck at the time. They had the big, strong and talented OL and they were predominately a run team with a lot of play action. Chuck was very accurate so if he had time to throw he would have been fine. I don't think arm strength was the problem.
 
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If you get a chance plug in your old NES and put on the Tecmo Super Bowl game. You will find Chuck Long available as Everett's backup on the Rams. Long used to have some impressive numbers when I used him.[/QUOTE]

Oh man, Chuck Long has to have every passing record for me if it actually kept stats. I used to play Vlasic for San Diego. Both had great weapons in that game, but Vlasic had a RIDICULOUSLY terrible end around or qb waggle or something...seriously limited his passing options. Always had to change the playbook for that dude.
#ihadnofriendsinmiddleschool
 
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